Check out my Junior Schedule! And AP Chem

Hi everyone,

I’m very much excited to start off my junior year of high school. So far it is going to be my most rigorous.
I’m a straight A student and have taken 2 AP classes plus 6 honors classes so far!
My schedule this year looks like:

Medical Interventions
Biomedical Innovations
Honors Anatomy and Physiology
Free Block
AP US History
AP English Language and Composition
AP Physics 2
AP Calculus BC

Do you guys think this schedule is doable? I’m trying to get all A’s and hopefully 5’s on the AP tests. Rate my schedule!

My goal is to do pre med and for that I know I need to take AP Chemistry. The thing is, the chemistry department at my school is really bad and most of the class ended up failing the exam last year. Few 3’s barely any 4’s and just forget about 5’s.
I want to take it online. Do you guys recommend that I take it online? And if so, what is the best resource out there? I want to get a 5 on the exam as well as know tons of chemistry so that I can ace the SAT 2 Chemistry Exam (get an 800).
If I take it online, I would have to drop Biomedical Innovations but this isn’t that big of a deal since I can take that class senior year. The thing I’m worried about is will I be able to handle 5 difficult APs?

Thank you!

Could you take AP Chem as an independent study next year, or perhaps over the summer?

@Otter517 The problem with taking AP chem next year is that I want to take the SAT 2 Subject test. And to feel prepared for that I need to have taken the class. If I take AP Chem senior year then I can’t take the subject test till senior year May and that’s obviously way too late for college applications.

What’s independent study?

I’ve not explored taking it over the summer. Is it possible? What online programs offer it? Would I get all the necessary information to be able to get an 800 on the subject test?

Independent study (also called self study) is when you do what you think you need to do to prepare for a class without actually taking it. You would likely be allowed to take the AP exam for it, if you signed up. You could work on that during the free period that you mentioned. Idk where you could find an AP Chem help thing, but maybe try Khan Academy or get the AP review book. I really don’t know where you could take it over the summer. It really comes down to what you are most comfortable with. If you feel that you can do the work for 5 AP, go for it! That empty period you have would really help you in getting the work done

@Otter517 The thing I’m worried about is, if I self study I may not have enough time balancing all these APs… They’re quite a bit as I’ve only taken 1 a year before.

Also, colleges won’t see that you’ve self studied right? They’d just see you got an x score on the AP exam and a y score on the Chemistry Subject test. In online programs does your grade count towards your GPA and college transcript?

It is perfectly doable but I wouldn’t do AP chem online/self-study. It’s ok to take a few Bs with that schedule although still aim for As.

Let’s start with the fallacy:

No you don’t need to do AP Chem as a potential pre med. Most med schools will not accept AP science credits as meeting their prereqs, so you’d only end up taking it again in college anyway. Worry about getting into college first, before worrying about getting into med school.

You don’t need AP Chem for the Subject Test. You need HS chem. Whether AP Chem makes you more comfortable in taking the Subject Test is another question.

Anyway, to your original question. No, I would not take it online. Nor would I take 5 AP’s. My suggestion would be to take AP Chem and omit AP Physics 2 (or switch AP Physics to senior year). And if you’re taking AP Physics to prep for the Subject Test, you don’t need 2 science Subject Tests.

@skieurope Thanks for clearing up my confusion! But I know that I’ll have to take AP Chem in college anyway. The thing is they typically require several laboratory sciences and I thought AP Chem would fit in that specification.

The problem with HS chem being enough is that our chemistry department is horrible and although I got an A I feel like I don’t know enough information. Also, AP Physics 2 is offered in a super cycle and I doubt it would be offered my senior year just because demand is very low. I’m not planning on taking the Physics Subject Test. Only Math 2 (which I’m taking in about 2 weeks) and Chemistry.

So now would you recommend that I spend the summer of 2018 doing independent study for the Chemistry subject test? Is that the best way to go?

I don’t think that you want to skip the college chemistry course if you are planning to go into a science based major such as medicine. But, honestly, I’m not even close to the college process yet, so you probably know more about that than I do.
About the summer of independent study, it could be a good idea. It really depends on how you are wired, thought. Does the summer away from school refresh you, or do you become quickly bored with the less busy schedule. If the latter is true, then yes, it is a good idea for you to do a summer study. But if the former is true, maybe you should just give yourself a break. The last thing you want to do is burn yourself out trying to get into college, and then have nothing left when you get there

Personally, I’m not a big fan of a lot of academic work over the summer. Most students need time to recharge their batteries, and there are other non-academic things one an do in its stead. But if you think you can prep for the Subject Test while doing other things, go for it.

Thanks for your help guys! I’m pretty comfortable with my actual schedule and I just met all my teachers today. I think these AP courses will be doable.

One more thing, I plan on self studying AP Chem. I’ll take the AP Exam and the SAT 2 Chemistry Subject test.

Since I want to do pre med, will colleges be fine with me not taking AP Chem as an actual course (online or physical)?

They won’t care. Being pre-med has nothing to do with it, since relatively few colleges admit by major, and even fewer (if any) have a major called pre-med.